A special committee which has been formed to resolve disputes over agricultural land ownership in the multi-ethnic province of Kirkuk is due to take the issue to the Iraqi parliament.
The committee was formed after Kurds and Turkmens voiced their concern regarding a number of decisions by the acting governor of Kirkuk Rakan Saeed which facilitated the return of Arab settlers to disputed agricultural lands.
Babakr Sdiq, a provincial council member and also member of the committee said, “The Kurds, the Arabs and the Turkmens have representatives in the committee which is tasked with resolving disputes over the agricultural lands in the province”, adding that "a detailed report will be sent to the presidency of the Iraqi parliament.”
He emphasized that both the Kurds and the Turkmens share the same view and stress the need “to halt all kinds of transactions with these disputed lands.”
Rakan Saeed, an Arab, who was appointed acting governor following the October 16, 2017 events had issued a set of decisions aimed to facilitate for the return of Arab families to Kirkuk, after they were sent back to their original areas in mid and southern Iraq in accordance with article 140 of the constitution which calls for the normalization of the situation in the disputed province.
In November 2018, the acting governor facilitated the return of hundreds of Arab families to nine villages in Kirkuk’s southern district of Daquq, predominantly inhabited by Kurds.
Babakr Sdiq said he expects the parliament to devote a special session to discuss the issue in the few coming days.
Menawhile, Dilan Ghafour an Iraqi MP from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction told KirkukNow that the committee includes representatives of the ministry of Justice and the ministry of agriculture.
